Hawaiian To Order Boeing 787-9s

Plans call for Hawaiian Airlines' first Boeing 787-9 to arrive in the first quarter of 2021. (Image: Hawaiian Airlines)

Hawaiian Airlines has confirmed its intention to buy 10 Boeing 787-9s following a decision to drop an order announced in 2014 for six Airbus A330-800neos. The letter of intent, which also grants Hawaiian an option covering another 10 of the airplanes, calls for the first example to arrive in the first quarter of 2021. Hawaiian has chosen the GE GEnx-1B engine option for its Dreamliner fleet.

The airline calls the 787-9 the ideal option for its long-haul routes to Asia and North America. “The Dreamliner combines excellent comfort for our guests with fantastic operational performance and will allow us to continue modernizing our fleet into the next decade,” said Hawaiian Airlines president and CEO Peter Ingram. “It has more seating capacity than Hawaiian’s current widebody fleet, which will allow us to further build upon our successful growth in Asia.”

Hawaiian now operates a mainline fleet of 24 Airbus A330-200s, eight Boeing 767s, two A321neos, and 20 Boeing 717s. The company noted it chose the 787-9 as part of a competitive bid process that also included the Airbus A330-900neo.

Hawaiian said it expects to finalize binding purchase agreements with Boeing and GE in the second quarter of this year. The company also plans to begin negotiating inclusion of the new aircraft in its contracts with the Air Line Pilots Association and the Association of Flight Attendants, both of which must adopt new contract language before the company’s board of directors issues final approval of the purchase.